As of July 1, 2010, the amount of applications for photovoltaic systems installed under the micro-generation feed-in tariff in Ontario, Canada, reached 16,000. The majority of these applications have been for ground-mounted systems and thus, the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has designed a FiT cut for any systems of this kind of 10kW or less, to stop the pressure this will place on tax payers.
Product Briefing Outline: Applied Materials has launched its Applied ‘SmartFactory’ MES software that is claimed to be an out-of-the-box factory automation solution. SmartFactory can be deployed in less than 60 days to improve product quality, boost productivity, and cut operational costs, according to the company, and is also the first MES available with integrated advanced process control (APC) capability.
Product Briefing Outline: Kemper has extended its family of dual-axis tracking system for photovoltaic (PV) modules, and includes a larger ‘KemTrack’ 120 system, capable of handling a combined module area of 120 square meters. The construction is torsion-free, extremely robust and durable and modular in construction.
With the first four Solar Decathlons held in the U.S., intrigue was high for the first European edition held in Madrid this month. In a bid to find out exactly what the competition had in store this year, I travelled over to the Villa Solar just a few days before the closing ceremony to see the offerings first-hand.After 10 days of heated competition, with scorching temperatures beating down all day in the Spanish capital city, the 17 teams' enthusiasm was on top form. Each house's designers welcomed me in, eager to reveal all about the design, planning and above all renewable aspects that had been worked into their entry.
Product Briefing Outline: ISRA Vision has introduced an advanced optical multi-panel inspection system called Powerscan for automated inspection of glass, surface, and laminates for the photovoltaic industry. Based on its standardised modules and software, ISRA has developed a special system setup to inspect thin-film solar modules right after lamination.
Product Briefing Outline: Intertronics has introduced the ‘BlueWave’ 200 UV curing spot lamp that is designed to provide the highest intensity and the most user-friendly operation. A new, patent pending Intensity Adjustment feature also allows simple, manual intensity adjustment during initial UV process validation and production.
Product Briefing Outline: AEG Power Solutions has introduced ‘Thyrobox M,’ which, it claims, is the most compact power solution that offers increased reliability and stability for the polycrystalline silicon deposition process. With advanced process monitoring capabilities, a 0.95 power factor and more than 99% energy efficiency, the Thyrobox M also reduces installation, commissioning and maintenance costs for the entire energy supply as well as building costs due to its smaller footprint compared to previous designs and competitor offerings.
eSolar, Inc. responds to my CSP (Concentrating Solar Power) site survey and answers a few questions. The Sierra SunTowers were offline for five (5) days because of a “planned outage” followed by another day due to high winds. Not long after the cross post of eSolar Sierra SunTower Project offline to the PV-tech.org Editor’s Blog, I got a response from eSolar to my questions from the previous week.
Product Briefing Outline: VAT has launched a new transfer valve, the 'FlapVAT' that extends its product portfolio in the 'large transfer valve' series. The new product offers vacuum equipment manufacturers the ability to achieve what it claims is the best price/performance ratio available. VAT now has three large transfer valves in the portfolio for the PV industry, each of which can be customized in various ways to match each individual manufacturer's requirements.
Product Briefing Outline: Festo has introduced the high-speed H-Portal for the fast handling of solar wafers. Key features of the gantry with its recirculating toothed belts are the dynamic response of 50m/s2, a fast speed of 5m/s in the working space and a repeat accuracy of +/- 0.1mm. The high-speed handling is claimed to have the best delay response in a space-saving working area. The functional principle of the gantry is supported by reliable series components such as two stationary servo motors at the end of the axis. This lightweight composition is said to guarantee a long system service life.
